The first and most important rule is that you must NOT touch your Elf. If you do, they will lose all their magic - and nobody wants that to happen. When scout elves lose their magic, they can't go about their Christmas duties. This means no presents for anyone in your family!
Are grown-ups allowed to intervene? Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.
Per official Elf on the Shelf lore, a touched Scout Elf loses their magic. Learning this fact could leave your kids spiraling down an endless rabbit hole of unwanted outcomes — ending up on the naughty list and Christmas being cancelled being their chief concerns, according to my own kids.
Each morning, the elf chooses a new vantage point from which to keep an eye on the kids. The night before Christmas, the elf flies off one last time to spend the year with Santa until reappearing next season. Every night, a parent hides the elf in a new place.
Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, his story goes all the way back to the 3rd century. He was a monk who was born in 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey. As an only child, he was given great affection by his parents.
Because the Elf on the Shelf “moves” each night, belief can sometimes be suspended into thinking that it is real. And for all intents and purposes, the Elf on the Shelf is real. It's a real doll, after all.
Can I touch my Elf Pets®? Yes! Elf Pets® love to be cuddled and hugged! They also love when their families play with them and include them in fun activities.
According to folklorist Carol Rose in her encyclopedia "Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins (opens in new tab)" (Norton, 1998), though elves were sometimes friendly toward humans, they were also known to take "terrible revenge on any human who offends them.
Leave a note!
One popular way to bid farewell is to have your elf leave a special, personal message for your kid, whether it's a typewritten note or a message spelled out in candy or plastic letters on the fridge or on snow-painted window or mirror.
According to elf legend, the elf moves each night. Some mornings, though, kids might find themselves asking why the elf is still in its same place.
The only rule for children is that they can't touch their elf or else the magic might disappear. Elf babies aren't an official toy from the Elf on the Shelf store, though many are dressed in the red outfits that match the signature elf.
Can My Elf Get Wet in the Sink? While I wouldn't recommend soaking your elf in water, it won't hurt for it to get wet. You can easily wash your elf on the shelf if you want.
The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be started at any age, but most parents recommend waiting until your child is between the ages of 2 and 3. They claim it's the perfect sweet spot for children to appreciate and understand the elves' magic while establishing this family tradition at a young age.
They have a favorite spot in your home. When your Scout Elf flies back from the North Pole and lands in the same spot, chances are it's their favorite place to sit in your home. Just like you have a favorite spot on the couch, your elf has favorite spots, too! The spot has a great vantage point.
And don't you deserve the credit for buying all the presents? As adults we know Santa Claus isn't real, but many of us remember the disappointing day we discovered this was the case.
"It's not an overnight shift in thinking," says Laura Lamminen, Ph. D., a pediatric psychologist at Children's Health℠, "and there's no set age where children should know the truth about Santa Claus." Dr. Lamminen says each family and each child within that family will be ready to talk about Santa at different ages.
Nick is fictional. About 40 percent of the parents polled by the site said the right age to break the news about Santa to children is between the ages of 8 and 12, while one in 10 adults feel you can put off that disclosure until after kids turn 12.
According to the blog Email Santa, Santa Claus is 1,751 years old as of 2022. In fact, the origins of Santa Claus can be traced all the way back to a monk named Saint Nicholas, who was born between 260 and 280 A.D.
Write a Letter to Your Elf
Although the North Pole may be a long ways away, your Scout Elf is always easily reachable online. Kids can write to their elf or Santa through our online portal or on our Facebook page, and one of Santa's mailroom elves will be sure to send back a kind reply!
We've got the answer below! These fuzzy, friendly pals, the Elf Pets® Reindeer, Saint Bernard and Arctic Fox, are able to live with their families all year! They help Santa complete important Christmas duties such as flying his sleigh around the world, and they need your help!
Elves need to wait until everyone is asleep before they can move around. If there was too much activity around the house last night, perhaps your elf only had time to get to the North Pole and back, but not enough time to find a new position. Make sure you get to bed early tonight to help them out!
As the story goes, elves arrive around Thanksgiving and keep watch of children up until Christmas Eve. Every night during this time, elves fly to the North Pole to report to the big guy, ya know, Santa, about the kids' naughty or niceness, then return to a new spot each morning.